Volvo Community Forum. The Forums of the Volvo Owners Club

Forum Rules Volvo Owners Club About VOC Volvo Gallery Links Volvo History Volvo Press
Go Back   Volvo Owners Club Forum > "Technical Topics" > Performance Volvo Cars

Notices

Performance Volvo Cars A forum for those interested in any Volvo performance car from any era, FWD, RWD and AWD!

Information
  • VOC Members: There is no login facility using your VOC membership number or the details from page 3 of the club magazine. You need to register in the normal way
  • AOL Customers: Make sure you check the 'Remember me' check box otherwise the AOL system may log you out during the session. This is a known issue with AOL.
  • AOL, Yahoo and Plus.net users. Forum owners such as us are finding that AOL, Yahoo and Plus.net are blocking a lot of email generated from forums. This may mean your registration activation and other emails will not get to you, or they may appear in your spam mailbox

Thread Informations

!!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!!!!!

Views : 1185

Replies : 8

Users Viewing This Thread :  

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old Oct 4th, 2002, 23:57   #1
kenbitt
Guest
 

Location:
Default !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!!!!!

Hi ALL

Thanx for a fantastic forum this is the place to visit for top notch info regarding Volvos.Here is my problem and believe me it is a BIG one.I have owned now a T5CD "1995" on an " N " which has covered 134,000 miles it has been lowered and has Wolfrace Voodoo alloys so with it being dark blue it does look the part.The car was imaculate both in and out with the interior looking almost brand new which i though was good considering the mileage.It has also been modded by one its former owners a race tech at TWR racing he added a " T " piece to a pipe that connects to the turbo to keep the boost there a tad longer and he has reprogrammed the ECU slightly to give it 260bhp which has been verified with a rolling road tune.I had been looking for a GOOD 850 for over 18 months but my search centred around the T5r but when this car came up for sale i was impressed.I had it checked out by the AA at a cost of £234 and it went to my local volvo dealer for a compression test to make sure the engine was OK and it passed with flying coloures.I have ALL the reciepts and bills for work done etc and ALL the MOT`s for the car it has a FULL volvo dealer history.Now as you can imagine i liked this car a lot it went like shtink has a luxurious interior and handled well and drove as smooth as the day it was bought what more could you ask for ??.I picked up my new pride and joy last friday 27th sept.Everything was A-OK till yesterday morning this was a cold morning and a prefect time to test out the heated seats.So i get in the car set off for work with a work mate who switched on the heated seats,we get 2 mins down the road and my seat is not getting warm but his is Mmmmmmm strange since they had been passed as working by the AA engineer who inspected the car.Now all or a sudden and with out warning smoke started bellowing from beneath the drivers seat.My first reaction was open the window fresh air would be a very good idea since i was starting to choke.Second reaction turn off seat then pull over.I had a look under the seat and ALL of the foam was well ablaze as was the carpet.First things first ring 999 and second we tried smuthering the fire with my jacket and his works T-Shirt which did not work what were we to do ???.No more than 30 seconds later the flames were about 12 inches above the seat melting the steering wheel the underside of the dash the headlining and the door trim.Luckly a taxi driver stopped and let us use his Fire Extinguisher to put out the fire but we were to late there was extensive damage to the interior.5 mins later the firbrigade arrive who pulled the base of my seat to bits to make sure the fire was out and dowsed it in water for good measure and disconnected the battery.I have since been in touch with the AA and my local Mill Volvo dealer .... the AA said they would probably come out to inspect the fault since i had made a complaint within the first 3 months of having the inspection but my volvo dealer was not very helpful at all he told me that volvo would not be interested at ALL because of the age , mileage and the fact that i was the 4th owner what a pile of rubbish this has to be a safety issue ??? he phoned Volvo on my behalf and said that volvo had logged the phone call as a safety issue quite what this means and what the next move is you guess is as good as mine he also said that stated that some one could have modified the seat could someone out there PLEASE tell me why on earth someone would want to modify the seat and if so for what purpose ?? does this man live on the same planet as me ???? seams not.This was the first time i had used the heated seat which was passed as OK by the AA engineer since i bought the car.Has anyone here came across the same problem and if so what did they do ??Is there anythig else i can do.If anyone would like to mail me in search of more info mail me at mg0020241@blueyonder.co.uk.I know this post is a tad long but thanx to ALL who read it.

Cheers

Mark
  Reply With Quote
Old Oct 5th, 2002, 07:53   #2
Chris_Rogers
VOC Member
 

Last Online: Apr 10th, 2017 17:55
Join Date: Jan 1970
Location: South Kent Coast
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

First of all sorry to hear of your experience.
I remember one other incident mentioned on this forum, but it was some time ago and may have been wiped off the archive by now.
I guess is your will have a fight on your hands with Volvo & the AA, but good luck.

If your want to keep the car I would consider a fall back position if your insurers write the car off.

Look for a second hand interior, I think there was one advertised in the 'parts' section recently. Then buy back the wreck from the insurers and repair yourself, you may not be too much out of pocket.

I have the same model, so I'll be inspecting my seat today!
Chris_Rogers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Sep 14th, 2005, 22:20   #3
Andy
Master Member
 
Andy's Avatar
 

Last Online: Mar 12th, 2023 15:04
Join Date: Jan 1970
Location: Bath/Bristol/N. Wilts
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

Crikey, burning seats again :(

I was in my local Volvo dealers, MRG in Chippenham, two days ago reading an 850 heated seats recal notice on the Parts Dept counter.

Volvo are very aware of this problem and many members have had their 850's heated seat wiring replaced. I had it done last year.

MRG's number is 01249443300 if you want to give them a call. Option 3 puts you to the Parts Dept, I'm sure they'd read it to you!

I wish you every success trying to get a solution. As Chris says a second hand interior is an option, they really aren't as expensive as you would imagine from a brakers.



EDIT Sorry just re-read your post... Are Volvo really denying all knowledge of their own recall?- CHEEKY B@STARDS!
Andy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Sep 14th, 2005, 22:24   #4
adieu
Master Member
 
adieu's Avatar
 

Last Online: Feb 5th, 2021 20:07
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: swindon
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

Volvo have made a recall on certain older models of 850's due to a know fault with the seat wiring!

I had mine replaced free of charge as have many others.

Did a main dealer do any work on your car prior to the seat catching fire? If so you maybe able to say to them why didn't you check my seat wiring!

Regards

Iain



__________________
Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… That’s what gets you.

A turbo: Exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster
adieu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Sep 15th, 2005, 09:23   #5
ken850T5
Guest
 

Location:
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

My dealer tells me my heater is broken and the option is to buy a new seat (apparently big money).
Where does that recall apply to - is it worldwide?
What years/models does it apply to?
Would it apply to me if my heater element is broken.
How can I check the element is broken - can I put an ohmmeter on some connections?

Thanks

Ken
  Reply With Quote
Old Sep 15th, 2005, 13:26   #6
sholtby
Premier Member
 
sholtby's Avatar
 

Last Online: May 26th, 2010 21:17
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: north east
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

I dont think I'll use my heated seats again! Its a common problem for the seats to catch fire. Most T5s I have seen in scrap yards have burned out interiors presumably due to the heated seats.
In the states Volvo finally admitted to there being a problem and did a recall and a few years later Volvo in this country also issued a recall. Try doing a search on this site there should be quite a bit of information on the problem and recall.

Simon
sholtby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Sep 15th, 2005, 16:51   #7
Bob
Club Director
 
Bob's Avatar
 

Last Online: Today 12:43
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: From Neath, now London
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

See:

http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/pdf/VCC_...eatedSeats.pdf

Bob
_____________________________
Robert Isaac
Volvo Owners Club
Director and Web Admin
Bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Sep 18th, 2005, 11:04   #8
masv70
Guest
 

Location:
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

Given that this is a known problem and volvo have issued recalls shouldnt the AA inspection have checked this / picked it up ?

What do the AA claim they do on an inspection ?
  Reply With Quote
Old Sep 18th, 2005, 11:09   #9
masv70
Guest
 

Location:
Default RE: !!!!!!!!! 850 Heated seats Problem !!!!!!

As an aside If this is Mill Volvo that I have dealt with I was not impressed, the York dealer seemed much better (Ray Chapman?). They are off the ring road between the a19 and a59 junctions, near the honda place
  Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 16:49.


Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.